Polymer smart materials are a broad class of polymeric materials that can change their shapes, mechanical responses, light transmissions, controlled releases, and other functional properties under external stimuli. A good understanding of the aspects controlling various types of shape memory phenomena in shape memory polymers (SMPs), such as polymer structure, stimulus effect and many others, is not only important for the preparation of new SMPs with improved performance, but is also useful for the optimization of the current ones to expand their application field. In the present era, simple understanding of the activation mechanisms, the polymer structure, the effect of the modification of the polymer structure on the activation process using fillers or solvents to develop new reliable SMPs with improved properties, long lifetime, fast response, and the ability to apply them under hard conditions in any environment, is considered to be an important topic. Moreover, good understanding of the activation mechanism of the two-way shape memory effect in SMPs for semi-crystalline polymers and liquid crystalline elastomers is the main key required for future investigations. In this article, the principles of the three basic types of external stimuli (heat, chemicals, light) and their key parameters that affect the efficiency of the SMPs are reviewed in addition to several prospective applications.

Hemocompatibility of biomaterials in contact with the blood of patients is a prerequisite for the short- and long-term applications of medical devices such as cardiovascular stents, artificial heart valves, ventricular assist devices, catheters, blood linings and extracorporeal devices such as artificial kidneys (hemodialysis), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and cardiopulmonary bypass. Although lower blood compatibility of materials and devices can be handled with systemic anticoagulation, its side effects, such as an increased bleeding risk, make materials that have a better hemocompatibility highly desirable, particularly in long-term applications. This review provides a short overview on the basic mechanisms of blood coagulation including plasmatic coagulation and blood platelets, as well as the activation of the complement system. Furthermore, a survey on concepts for tailoring the blood response of biomaterials to improve the hemocompatibility of medical devices is given which covers different approaches that either inhibit interaction of material surfaces with blood components completely or control the response of the coagulation system, blood platelets and leukocytes.

In this work, the study results of an implantable pediatric rotary blood pump (PRBP) are presented. They show the results of the numerical simulation of fluid flow rates in the pump. The determination method of the backflows and stagnation regions is represented. The operating points corresponding to fluid flow rates of 1, 3, and 5 L/min for 75-80 mm Hg pressure head are investigated. The study results have shown that use of the pump in the 1 L/min operating point can potentially lead to the appearance of backflows and stagnation regions. In the case of using pumps in fluid flow rates ranging from 3 to 5 L/min, the number of stagnation regions decreases and the fluid flow rate changes marginally. Using the pump in this flow rate range is considered judicious. The study shows an increase in shear stress with an increase in fluid flow rates, while there is no increase in shear stress above the critical condition of 150 Pa (which does not allow us to reliably speak about the increased risk of blood cell damage). The aim of this work was to design, prototype, and study interaction of the Sputnik PRBP with the cardiovascular system. A three-dimensional model of Sputnik PRBP was designed with the following geometrical specifications: flow unit length of 51.5 mm, flow unit diameter of 10 mm, and spacing between the rotor and housing of 0.1 mm. Computational fluid dynamics studies were used to calculate head pressure-flow rate (H-Q) curves at rotor speeds ranging from 10 000 to 14 000 rpm (R = 0.866 between numerical simulation and experiment) and comparing flow patterns at various points of the flow rate operating range (1, 3, and 5 L/min) for operating pressures ranging from 75 to 80 mm Hg. It is noted that when fluid flow rate changes from 1 L/min to 3 L/min, significant changes are observed in the distribution of zero flow zones. At the inlet and outlet of the pump, when going to the operating point of 3 L/min, zones of stagnation become minuscule. The shear stress distribution was calculated along the pump volume. The volume in which shear stress exceed 150 Pa is less than 0.38% of the total pump volume at flow rates of 1, 3, and 5 L/min. In this study, a mock circulatory system (MCS) allowing simulation of physiological cardiovascular characteristics was used to investigate the interaction of the Sputnik PRBP with the cardiovascular system. MCS allows reproducing the Frank-Starling autoregulation mechanism of the heart. PRBP behavior was tested in the speed range of 6 000 to 15 000 rpm. Decreased contractility can be expressed in a stroke volume decrease approximately from 18 to 4 mL and ventricle systolic pressure decrease approximately from 92 to 20 mm Hg. The left ventricle becomes fully supported at a pump speed of 10 000 rpm. At a pump speed of 14 000 rpm, the left ventricle goes into a suction state in which fluid almost does not accumulate in the ventricle and only passes through it to the pump. The proposed PRBP showed potential for improved clinical outcomes in pediatric patients with a body surface area g...

The pump weight was reduced from 246 to 205 g, the pump length was decreased from 82 to 66 mm, and the pump diameter was decreased from 32 to 29 mm. The total energy consumption of the pump was reduced by 15%.

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Unlike traditional actuators, such as piezoelectric ceramic or metallic actuators, polymer actuators are currently attracting more interest in biomedicine due to their unique properties, such as light weight, easy processing, biodegradability, fast response, large active strains, and good mechanical properties. They can be actuated under external stimuli, such as chemical (pH changes), electric, humidity, light, temperature, and magnetic field. Electroactive polymers (EAPs), called ‘artificial muscles’, can be activated by an electric stimulus, and fixed into a temporary shape. Restoring their permanent shape after the release of an electrical field, electroactive polymer is considered the most attractive actuator type because of its high suitability for prosthetics and soft robotics applications. However, robust control, modeling non-linear behavior, and scalable fabrication are considered the most critical challenges for applying the soft robotic systems in real conditions. Researchers from around the world investigate the scientific and engineering foundations of polymer actuators, especially the principles of their work, for the purpose of a better control of their capability and durability. The activation method of actuators and the realization of required mechanical properties are the main restrictions on using actuators in real applications. The latest highlights, operating principles, perspectives, and challenges of electroactive materials (EAPs) such as dielectric EAPs, ferroelectric polymers, electrostrictive graft elastomers, liquid crystal elastomers, ionic gels, and ionic polymer–metal composites are reviewed in this article.